UFC 313 established a new champion and possibly secured the chance for a fan favorite contender to challenge for championship.
In the main event, Magomed Ankalaev snatched the light heavyweight title away from Alex Pereira by executing a smart gameplan to earn a unanimous decision victory. Prior to that fight Pereira was undefeated in the 205-pound division and had won each of his last four fights via knockout.
And in the co-main event, Justin Gaethje spoiled Rafael Fiziev's long awaited return from injury, beating Fiziev by unanimous decision. The win likely puts Gaethje on the shortlist of fighters who could challenge Islam Makhachev for the lightweight championship next.
Following the third UFC pay-per-view event of the year, how should the future matchmaking play out? Here's what should be next for the top fighters from UFC 313.
Magomed Ankalaev, light heavyweight
Who should be next: Jiří Procházka
Of course, this would be based on Pereira moving up to the heavyweight division. If Pereira stays at 205 pounds -- the most likely scenario given UFC CEO Dana White's statements at the UFC 313 postfight news conference -- Ankalaev's first title defense will likely be a rematch against Pereira. But even if that's the case, we can wait for that matchup. Give Pereira a break and in the meantime, book Ankalaev vs. Procházka. This would also give Procházka a full training camp, which he didn't get for his last title challenge against Pereira. The winner of Jan Blachowicz and Carlos Ulberg at UFC Fight Night on March 22 is in the mix as well, but Procházka would have the inside track.
Wildcard: Alex Pereira
This is the most likely case. But, there's no need to see this matchup again right away. So, either let Pereira move up or give him some time off to reset. But the UFC very well could move in this direction immediately.
Alex Pereira, light heavyweight
Who should be next: Winner of Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall
It was a solid fight between Ankalaev and Pereira -- but do fans want to see this again? If Pereira was 30 years old and had an entire career still in front of him, they probably would. But at this stage, I'm not feeling it. I completely understand the argument for Pereira not moving up. And I understand that based on what we saw in this loss, there's a good chance he would struggle at heavyweight. But this spot is unpredictable, Pereira is world class and this would be the most exciting option for his career.
There's nothing exciting left at 205 pounds. A move up to heavyweight to face Jones or Aspinall would stop the MMA world in its tracks. Don't overthink this and just make the biggest fight.
Wildcard: Magomed Ankalaev
All that said, White said he's not interested in seeing Pereira move up. And usually what White says, goes. If Pereira does stay at light heavyweight, then a rematch is the obvious choice here. But it feels like just a fight that makes sense, as opposed to a fight that fans will want. And it's not like there's a lot of interesting options for Jones or Aspinall at heavyweight beyond each other. I'd like to see him move up.
Justin Gaethje, lightweight
Who should be next: Islam Makhachev
Usually, I wouldn't argue against a fight like Makhachev vs. Ilia Topuria. It's a perfect fight, matching up two of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the world, and Topuria's new star power adds a lot of intrigue. But, I can't get over Gaethje risking his lightweight title shot last year to take the BMF fight against Max Holloway, for the sake of beefing up the UFC 300 fight card.
He took an unnecessary risky matchup, and it cost him a title fight against Makhachev. Then he was forced to fight Fiziev again due to circumstances out of his control. Makhachev vs. Topuria will be there down the road, in some capacity. I'd like to see Gaethje get what he earned last year, which is a UFC title shot.
Wildcard: Dan Hooker
If the UFC does move forward with Makhachev vs. Topuria, it would make sense to rebook Gaethje vs. Hooker. That matchup made a ton of sense for UFC 313, and it still makes sense coming out of it. Hooker has been retraining his sights on Arman Tsarukyan lately, which I love. But if the UFC wants to book Gaethje another non-title bout, the opponent should be Hooker.
Rafael Fiziev, lightweight
Who should be next: Mateusz Gamrot
I don't love this matchup, but I can't come up with something better. Their first fight ended prematurely in 2023 due to Fiziev suffering a torn ACL. Now, both fighters are in weird spots, frankly. Gamrot has proven he's an undeniable top 10 lightweight, but he's dropped two of his biggest fights against Beneil Dariush and Dan Hooker, and his style is not beloved by fans or UFC matchmakers. Fiziev, meanwhile, has an incredibly fan friendly style, but the Gaethje losses and inactivity due to injury has led to him going almost three years without a win. They're both ranked in the UFC's top 15, but they need some clarity, and they'd likely find it by facing each other.
Wildcard: Loser of Michael Chandler vs. Paddy Pimblett at UFC 314 on April 12
This would be a fire matchup with either fighter. The winner of the Chandler-Pimblett fight will be looking up the rankings, to someone coming off a win. But the loser will be looking around for whatever high-profile fight emerges. Fiziev could be that option.
Mauricio Ruffy, lightweight
Who should be next: Beneil Dariush
Ruffy's callout of Dariush makes sense -- and if you look back at history, Dariush is that guy to answer the bell. He has accepted opponents ranked well below him. He's up for the challenge. Ruffy has earned a shot at a major jump, not only by winning, but doing so spectacularly. It was the perfect callout.
Wildcard: Renato Moicano
If the Dariush matchup doesn't come together, there's an obvious one here against Moicano. Moicano is coming off the short-notice loss in a title fight against Makhachev. He'll have some work to do to get in that position again. Ruffy has that "it" factor the UFC needs to capitalize on. Put him in a big fight and see if he can catch lightning. Dariush is the right matchup for that, but so is Moicano. Either one would be fantastic.